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Pray To End Abortion?

I drove to work this afternoon, past my favorite abortion clinic. There’s always something going on out front, and I never lack for some thought provoking entertainment when I drive by. I wrote about this particular woman’s health clinic in the past. The other day, there was a lone, what I thought was a, protester. He was standing there with a sign, facing traffic, so I assumed he was against abortion. However, for a change, and in fact for the first time since I’ve been driving to work, it turns out that he was not. His sign read, simply yet eloquently, “Keep Abortion Safe and Legal“. I felt bad for him and his courageous stand. It’s a rarity to see something like that in these times, and especially in this neck of the woods, which is very conservative and very religious.

Alas, today, matters were back to normal, if somewhat muted. As I drove by the clinic, I noticed two women standing there, both with cardboard signs. They weren’t paying a lot of attention to their volunteer duties, apparently more engrossed in their conversation than in proselytizing passing motorists. One sign faced in the wrong direction, apparently because they couldn’t chat while facing traffic. The other sign, however, was clearly seen. It read “Pray To End Abortion“.

Usually when someone says “pray” for something, my knee jerk mental response is “Good Luck”. Prayer will get you nowhere, as it’s really no better than wishful thinking. There’s no one to pray to who can grant your wish, and if someone says there is, my next knee jerk response is “How’s that prayer thing working out for you?” Prayer has been shown to have no effect on anything. People have been praying for centuries, and so far there is no evidence that anyone has ever received anything in response to a prayer. Oh, sure, many people delude themselves think they get responses (and of course, when they don’t, they tell you the answer was “no”), but all of those are anecdotal at best, with people attributing coincidence to the hand of god. More to the point, abortion rights antagonists have been praying long and hard since at least 1973, the year of Roe v. Wade, and so far their gods aren’t having anything to do with their prayers.

I wanted to stop and ask those women exactly what they thought their prayers would accomplish if, say, there was a god, and if he was disposed to grant their prayers? How would their god effectuate the end of abortion? Would they simply wake up one day and find that abortion was not a part of the social, cultural and medical landscape, as if it was all a dream, as if abortions weren’t necessary, or at least desirable, and as if no abortions had ever been performed in the history of human existence? Would god simply wipe our brains clean of the concept? Or would he cast a spell on the abortion providers, such that their implements of abortion no longer worked, or that their knowledge of abortion procedures was somehow forgotten? Or would he magically transform society so that every child conceived was not only wanted and desirable, but necessary, so that the thought of aborting it wouldn’t even cross a new mother’s mind?

I doubt those women even thought about it that way. Most likely, what they are praying for is the perfect case to wind its way through the courts, and make it to Washington D.C., to the U.S. Supreme Court, so that Justices Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, Alito, and maybe Kennedy (or perhaps a new appointee of President McCain) will have the opportunity to abort Roe v. Wade from the body of judicial decisions still considered the law of the land. If that would happen (and that scenario is not outside the realm of possibility, though it will not be the result of any supernatural intervention, especially if Obama loses on November 4) they will then point to the result and proclaim the power of their prayers. But, again, I don’t think they’ve thought this through.

Yes, in that scenario, Roe v. Wade will no longer be the law of the land, but abortion won’t necessarily be ended. In fact, there will be many states where Roe v. Wade will be the de facto law of that state. New York, Massachusetts, and California all come to mind as states where abortion will still be “safe and legal“. (Sadly, I’m not sure I can say that about my own state, Pennsylvania, but one can hope.) There will probably be quite a few others, because the majority of the population of the U.S. favors allowing women to have that choice, even if the predominantly conservative state legislatures that govern them don’t. I’ll bet those two women were not chatting about this.

In fact, they probably have not thought about the consequences of their prayers at all. Once Roe v. Wade is gone, only women who have the financial wherewithal to travel to states that provide abortions will continue to have them. Those who don’t, primarily poorer, less fortunate women, will end up having children they don’t want, can’t provide for and most likely won’t raise properly, adding to the downward spiral of children living a life of poverty, ignorance and crime, further widening the gap between the haves and the have nots. The ironic fact here is that people who live in such conditions are also the people who are most attracted to religion, because to people experiencing a miserable life here on earth, it’s religion that gives them the false sense of security of an afterlife. So a good case can be made that those who pray for the end of abortion are actually contributing to reliance on the fantasy we call prayer, in turn perpetuating religion. Can you say “Meme“?

The one consolation I take from this is that as long as people are only praying for the end of abortion, the result they seek will not occur. It’s when they actually do something, like electing another god-fearing, wack-job Republican to office, that I should worry.

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21 thoughts on “Pray To End Abortion?”

SI, the smart ass in me would want to have a mock counter-demonstration, holding up signs like “Pray for compulsory abortion.”

Unfortunately, if Obama and Biden are elected, we might witness an increase in violence against abortion clinics, because the extremists will lose hope of working within the system with their Republican allies in the minority.

The one consolation I take from this is that as long as people are only praying for the end of abortion, the result they seek will not occur. It’s when they actually do something, like electing another god-fearing, wack-job Republican to office, that I should worry.

Or better yet, doing something which might actually make contraception more accessible.

I find it amusing that these people feel compelled to hold a rally to tell people to pray for something. Is there a certain number of prayers that must be obtained before their god takes notice and acts? What is that number? Maybe they should have one of those meters like on telethons of PBS fundraisers urging people to add their prayers to the fund since they’re so close to meeting their required goal.

Well I hope they have as much luck as the yahoos who prayed in Houston for the hurricane to turn away and pound New Orleans again instead (quite a compassionate Christian prayer, btw). Of course, as far as anyone knows, Sarah Palin hasn’t suffered any witchcraft (although she thinks that Couric is a mean ol’ witch), so maybe that prayer shit can do something. You betcha

Let them pray their fanatical little heads off. It’s when they take things into their own human hands, like a lever in a voting booth, that we have to worry.

And speaking of taking things into their own hands… when extremists take things into their own hands and commit violence againce abortions clinics it tells me that they’ve not only lost “hope of working within the system,” they’ve lost faith in their God — their driving force. None of this computes for me. The double standards are blatantly obvious.

Great post that really highlights the political illiteracy and lack of introspection characteristic of a lot of the pro-life crowd. One thing you didn’t bring up is that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortion will even continue in those states that outlaw it. It will just be a lot less safe.

What would the Christian right do if Roe v. Wade was overturned? The war against gays is failing. Communism is no longer a major threat. What single-minded simplistic sloganeered negative rights-denying idea would they embrace next?

the smart ass in me would want to have a mock counter-demonstration, holding up signs like “Pray for compulsory abortion.”

A man after mine own heart. I always wanted to stop and have a conversation with them, ask them who their directing their prayers to, and why he apparently isn’t listening.

Chappie.

I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

Sure you could. I’ve seen you.

Tom Rees

Nice link. Thanks.

Philly

Maybe they should have one of those meters like on telethons of PBS fundraisers urging people to add their prayers to the fund since they’re so close to meeting their required goal.

Maybe we can get Jerry Lewis to renounce prayer and have an anti-telethon?

Sandy

when extremists take things into their own hands and commit violence againce abortions clinics it tells me that they’ve not only lost “hope of working within the system,” they’ve lost faith in their God — their driving force

Yeah. Kinda hypocritical of them, isn’t it. It almost an admission of defeat.

Lifey

One thing you didn’t bring up is that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortion will even continue in those states that outlaw it. It will just be a lot less safe.

I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe we should just concede defeat, so they dry up and go away? Then, when they have disbanded their organizations because they thought they won – BAM – we pass a constitutional Amendment guaranteeing the right to abortions?

What baffles me about these people is that banning abortion is their number one issue!

Not only do they dismiss making contraception more available, they also ignore social factors such as access to education, a social safety net, and good paying jobs, which help to reduce the number of abortions.

Abortion is not the problem, it is a symptom of a deeper problem in this country, and one that is only going to get worse if recent events are any indication.

I think it’s a manifestation of simplistic thinking, which is easier on the brain. A book tells you that abortion is a sin (even though it really doesn’t), and your minister confirms it, so it’s a very simple solution. Simply stop abortion, you’ve stopped the sin. Nice, pat, black and white problem and solution.

Unfortunately life is far more complex, with far more nuances and shades of gray. But if your brain can’t handle nuance or complexity, you’re attracted to a simplistic solutions.

What baffles me about these people is that banning abortion is their number one issue!

Yeah! And when the fetal-alcohol-syndrome babies are born, Christians haven’t been known for going out of their way to adopt them. They give their money to the church to keep the pastor fat and driving the car of the year, instead of supporting non-profit organizations that help the destitute. Because, let’s face it, the street is what awaits many of those unwanted children.

When the shouldn’t-have-come-to-the-world kids become a social problem, the religious nuts call them sinners and threaten them with hell if they don’t love Jesus. But how can they love anyone if the world has only given them the boot? Let alone sweet Jesus.

FIY , if u haven noticed , most of the orphanages around the world are set up by christian organizations. And abortion is a sin in the sight of god . Would you bear to kill your own child which you love so much? Another thing , even if you arent a christian , would you not feel remorse to what you had done? Think about it , would you be here if your parents have had an abortion while you were still in the womb of your mothers? if every1 would have an abortion , would it mean the extinction of mankind? Now , you tell me .

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, this blog is written by an atheist. Therefore, he doesn’t give a damn whether “abortion is a sin in the sight of god.” Moreover, SI is a bright guy. I’m confident that he’s thought carefully about the arguments related to this issue. Based on your ridiculous comment, I don’t have any confidence that you’ve done the same.

Calvary, there’s no evidence that abortion is a sin in the sight of god. The Bible doesn’t mention it – though it does say that if a man hits a pregnant woman and causes her to lose the baby and “no harm is done” that nothing is to be done to the man. In other words, losing your baby because some guy whacks you is “no harm”. That’s god’s big stand on abortion. Sure, the *church* doesn’t like it, because – well, lots of complex social reasons, but nothing in the Bible backs them up.

(That’s assuming that god is real, which you do, I’m guessing.)

The rest of your argument is as well-founded as that. “If things were different, they wouldn’t be the same.”

if every1 would have an abortion , would it mean the extinction of mankind? Now , you tell me.

Well, duh, yeah it would mean the extinction of the human race. But who is advocating this? Supporters of abortion rights, myself including, take the position that it is the woman who should decide when to have a child when she finds herself pregnant.

to : the ridger. u mentioned that abortion is not a sin in the sight of god and there is no evidence in the bible or whatsoever.
Well , there is evidence that an abortion is a sin in the sight of god , and it is clearly written in the bible. “In the secret place doth he murder the innocent” (Psalms 10:8) The “secret place” is the womb of the mother. Definitely , the baby = “innocent” . Even wild beast such as lions and tigers to do kill their own kind , but rather they fight to defend and protect them. Will you go lower than these brute beast as to kill innocent unborn babies?

Given that “the wicked” in that Psalm is located, quite clearly, in a village (the whole verse (and the one which follows) reads, “He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.”), where he hides to trap and assault the poor, it sounds more like the Psalmist is calling out muggers and rapists than abortioners. But hey, you just keep right on taking verses out of context and re-interpreting them to suit your own aims – the church has been doing so for millenia, so you’re in good company.